Category Archives: Hard Truths – Alternative Perspectives

Modi’s China visit causes worry When Prime Minister Narendra Modi helps himself to a Madison Square Garden-style “grand reception” in the itinerary of his forthcoming visit to China, it makes one feel uneasy. The roadshow implies that Modi is seeking a great distraction. China is a very important country for India’s foreign policy. When the BJP…

NDA brokers’ stealth of farmer’s lands through dubious land acquisition law Over the past several months, the BJP-led NDA government has aggressively hurried through changes in land acquisition policy. The corporate lobby is clearly losing patience with the government and wants its pound of flesh with no further delay. They poured…

Role of Social Activists in Democracy BY AMULYA GANGULI WHILE making the unwarranted and unsubstantiated allegation of how the judiciary is scared of ‘five-star’ activists belonging to NGOs, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appears to have forgotten the intimidatory presence in the background of outfits such as the RSS which can be called non-state actors where…

March of the saffron brigade: RSS reaches out to corporates, technocrats Vikas Pathak, Hindustan Times, New Delhi For four years now, the Sewa Dham school run by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-allied Sewa Bharati in north-east Delhi’s Mandoli Saboli village has had the support of an unusual group – a…

“What you Have Seen Today is the First Drop of Rain”: Islamic State to Tunisia SEEMA MUSTAFA First of a four part series from Tunisia TUNIS: It is always true of this part of the world, it seems much worse from the outside than the in. And despite the major attack on tourists by the Islamic…

End the Occupation of Haiti For the USA, and most western nation’s imperialism assumes multiple forms. But there is one single goal- profits through exploits with no justification.In 2010, Haiti suffered a devastating earthquake. Powerful nations were then in Davos plotting globalization tactics with which to…

Gorbachev warns Ukraine could ignite World War II By Niles Williamson 31 January 2015 Mikhail Gorbachev, the last president of the Soviet Union, accused the United States Thursday of initiating a new Cold War with Russia and expressed fears that the conflict could escalate into a nuclear Third World War. Gorbachev made his…

Palestine’s accession to ICC worries Israel Ranjan Solomon Gaza still to come out of the devastating attack by Israel Israel did not seriously expect that Palestine would move at the speed it did to obtain ICC membership status. It has caused grave worries for Israeli politicians who fear they could be held anywhere to be…

Freedom of expression too has a price- it’s called human dignity By Ranjan Solomon* An assortment of world leaders assembled in Paris to pay tribute to the slain journalists who were killed in a savage attack that left twelve 12 people killed. The victims were all either staff of the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo…

The Hindutva Capitalist By Soter D’Souza* As anticipated, the Hindutva Capitalist forces appear to have employed their dirty tricks department to divert public attention from the mega sale of this nation to select local industrialists and foreign players. To cover up the mass-scale relaxation of environment laws that facilitate indiscriminate land conversions in the…

Empire’s unending and imprudent ambitions The Libya war opened the eyes of many – or should have. But the overriding lesson – if it needed reiterating – should be the realization that the US, the UK, France and their allies will stop at nothing, including even the imposition of total societal collapse, in order…

BJP Victory: A Blessing in Disguise For Muslims!? By Khalid Kamal Rumi* The thumping victory of Narendra Modi led NDA in the general elections for the 16th Lok Sabha is “potentially” poised to be the best thing to have happened to the Muslims of India in the last one decade. The emphasis, in bold,…

A must read: Why Modi could trip just before the finishing line If Modi were interested in an enlarged NDA, he would not have burnt his bridges with Mamata, Jayalalithaa, Mayawati or Naveen Patnaik Saeed Naqvi If this election campaign is to be remembered like a suspense drama, it must have…

Does BJP have a hand in the latest massacre in Assam? By Dr Habib Siddiqui is a peace and rights activist. There is little doubt that BJP leaders’ xenophobic speeches have catalysed targeted pogrom in Assam. Justice demands that they be held accountable for their criminal role, writes Dr Habib Siddiqui from Pennsylvania DOES Narendra Modi,…

Mass Imposition of Death Penalty in Egypt Outrageous The UN High Commision for Human Rights has strongly condemned the shocking imposition of the death penalty on 683 individuals in Egypt yesterday after mass trials that she said clearly breached international human rights law. “It is outrageous that for the second time in two months, the…

News which the media does not bring you Fact sheet on Gujarat (Myths versus Facts) In 10 years 60,000 small scale industries have been closed down. (Source: Director, Department of Economics and Statistics, Government of Gujarat.2011-12) o Gujarat ranks 5TH in F.D.I. (Source : Director, Department…

UNHRC Resolution Passed: Sri Lanka To Face International Investigation The UN Human Rights Council has voted for a resolution which paves the way for an inquiry into rights abuses at the close of Sri Lanka’s civil war. The resolution will pave the way for an international investigation into possible…

Consulate Handcuffed And Racism Cry! Partha Banerjee New York City law enforcement arrested an elite Indian consulate officer, and that too a woman, and allegedly handcuffed and cavity-searched her. And the Indian media blew up in smokes! Even the Indian government, an ardent and sycophant ally of the U.S., said (or attempted to say) stern words…

The Peoples’ Tribunal on Sri Lanka ‐ Session II 7th ‐ 10th December 2013 Bremen, Germany The Second Session of the Peoples’ Tribunal on Sri Lanka concluded today in Bremen, Germany, with the presentation of its verdict. The panel of eleven judges unanimously found Sri Lanka guilty of the crime of genocide against the Eelam Tamil people, and that…